Avodah Lesson 5 Evening Blessings (Lesson Alef):

Transcription

1 Avodah Lesson 5 Evening Blessings (Lesson Alef): Hashkiveinu INTRODUCTION Going to sleep has long been an unsettling experience for many adults and children alike. Rabbi Michael Strassfeld notes, The general notion [throughout history] was that being asleep meant being vulnerable. Nighttime was dangerous. It was a time when demons and the forces of evil were at their most powerful. Today this may seem primitive, yet even now night can be scary for adults as well as children. 1 Jewish rituals can provide a sense of comfort and connection in this situation, as in so many others. The topic of the next two lessons is the traditional Evening Blessings, which include the Hashkiveinu, a petitionary prayer in which we ask God to watch over us as we sleep; and the Sh ma, which when said at the end of the day allows us to reflect and meditate on the day just completed. Over the next two lessons, we will help our students explore these two special prayers and create their own Jewish bedtime ritual. The specific focus will be the idea of a sukkat shalom, a shelter of peace, contained in the Hashkiveinu prayer. The Hashkiveinu prayer opens with the following line:...w nik «a, Fªx Ubh k g G«r pu 'oh H j k Ub r nij sh n g v±u Ub 'oikä«k 'Ubh vo t ²h±h 'Ub ch F a«v Hashkiveinu, Adonai Eloheinu, l shalom, v haamideinu shomreinu l chayim, ufros aleinu sukkat sh lomecha... Grant, O God, that we lie down in peace, and raise us up, our Guardian, to life renewed. Spread over us the shelter of Your peace... Hashkiveinu dates back to the Talmudic period (ca. 200 B.C.E. 500 C.E.) when both the Babylonian and Palestinian Talmuds included references to this prayer as part of the Sh ma recited during the evening worship service 2 and as part of K riat Sh ma Al HaMitah, the reading of the Sh ma in bed. The Rabbis of the Talmudic period believed that reciting the Sh ma would scare off demons or others that meant us harm. 3 One of the key themes of the Hashkiveinu as it is recited today is that of God sheltering and protecting us. In this lesson the students will begin an art project depicting their own images of being sheltered or protected by God s presence in a sukkat shalom. In the next lesson, about the Sh ma, the students will complete the project, creating a piece of artwork that can become part of the students Jewish bedtime ritual. You may want to invite a few parents to class to help with the Bedtime Ritual Art Project. It would 1 Michael Strassfeld, A Book of Life: Embracing Judaism as a Spiritual Practice (New York: Schocken Books, 2002), p Geoffrey Wigoder, ed., The Encyclopedia of Judaism (Jerusalem: The Jerusalem Publishing House, 1989), p Ibid., p

2 112 Avodah Lesson 5 CHAI: Learning for Jewish Life enhance the project enormously if students could bring in pictures of the things or the people that help them feel safe. At least a week prior to class, invite your students to bring these pictures with them so they can include them in the art project. ENDURING UNDERSTANDINGS Avodah is the work we do to find sacred connections to God, community, and self. Engaging in the work of avodah can bring order, beauty, meaning, and insight to our lives. Jewish stories, celebrations, and rituals help me understand and express my relationship with God. ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS 1. How can I experience moments of connection to God? 2. How is striving for a connection to God, avodah, like work? 3. How do prayer, ceremonies, and celebrations affect my world? QUESTIONS TO BE ADDRESSED 1. How can I strengthen my connection to God as I prepare for bed? 2. What images are associated with the idea of a sukkat shalom? EVIDENCE OF UNDERSTANDING Students will create their own sukkat shalom. Students will begin to create their own Jewish bedtime ritual. LESSON OVERVIEW Set Induction (10 15 minutes) Guided Imagery (10 15 minutes) Bedtime Ritual Art Project (Part 1): Hashkiveinu (20 25 minutes) Conclusion (10 15 minutes)

3 CHAI: Learning for Jewish Life Evening Blessings (Lesson Alef ): Hashkiveinu 113 MATERIALS NEEDED Large white or light-colored construction paper with My Sukkat Shalom and the Sh ma written at the top (see Bedtime Ritual Art Project, page 115) Art supplies, such as beads, buttons, feathers, stars, and plastic gems Hashkiveynu, track 9 (read) and track 10 (sung) on the CHAI Level 2 CD Jewish Bedtime Rituals handout (page 117) READING RESOURCES FOR TEACHERS Union for Reform Judaism. Bedtime Rituals for Children: Crafting Jewish Tradition for Young Children. Stern, Chaim, ed. On the Doorposts of Your House: Prayers and Ceremonies for the Jewish Home. New York: CCAR Press, LESSON VOCABULARY shelter v Fªx(pl.,IFªx) sukkah (pl. sukkot) Something that protects us and keeps us safe. Booth, temporary dwelling; built in celebration of the Sukkot holiday. SET INDUCTION (10 15 MINUTES) LESSON PLAN 1. Ask the students to turn to page 16 in their workbooks, Evening Blessings. Read the text aloud to the students and ask them: What does God s presence feel like to you? What does God s shelter look like to you? 2. Tell or remind your students about the holiday of Sukkot, when we build a sukkah to remember the exodus from Egypt, as well as the end of the agricultural year. We eat and spend time in these temporary huts, just like the Israelites did as they wandered in the desert and the farmers did when they gathered their harvest. Describe some of the characteristics of a sukkah: it has three walls, a roof made of leaves or branches, decorations inside, etc. 3. Explain that a sukkah is a kind of shelter. Ask your students, What other kinds of shelters (things that protect us) can you think of, real or make-believe? (Possible answers: a house, a school, a castle, a fort, a temple, a tent.) Give as many students as possible a chance to respond, and ask more questions if necessary to garner as many different responses as possible. Most likely most of the responses will be types of buildings. You may want to make a list of your students responses on the board or flip chart paper.

4 114 Avodah Lesson 5 CHAI: Learning for Jewish Life 4. If most of the responses have been types of buildings, explain that sometimes we can feel sheltered by something that makes us feel safe. Give the example of getting a hug from a parent when you re feeling sad or scared. The hug also shelters us by helping us feel safe and loved. 5. Ask the students, What else can help us feel safe? (Possible answers: our favorite blanket, our pet dog or cat, a night-light, being with friends, knowing our parents are home.) Give as many students as possible a chance to respond, and ask more questions if necessary to garner as many different responses as possible. 6. Explain to the students that in this lesson and the next one, they will be learning about the Evening Blessings and how thinking about God when we go to sleep has helped the Jewish people feel safe at night. LEARNING ACTIVITIES Guided Imagery (10 15 minutes) 1. Have your students find a place on the floor where they can lie down. Have them close their eyes. If it is not possible to have them lie down on the floor, ask them to close their eyes and relax where they are seated. 2. Read the following text in a slow, quiet voice: Imagine that you are in your bedroom and it is nighttime. You are in your pajamas and getting into bed. Imagine the feel of your sheets and blankets. Now you re comfortable in bed. You re almost asleep. Listen carefully to the words of this prayer [read the following prayer very slowly]: Grant, O God, that we lie down in peace, and raise us up, our Guardian, to life renewed. Spread over us the shelter of Your peace. Guide us with Your good counsel; for Your Name s sake, be our help. Shield and shelter us beneath the shadow of Your wings. Defend us against enemies, illness, war, famine and sorrow. Distance us from wrongdoing. For You, God, watch over us and deliver us. For You, God, are gracious and merciful. Guard our going and coming, to life and to peace evermore. Blessed are You, Adonai, Guardian of Israel. 3. Pause a moment or two, and then gently ask the students to open their eyes. If you think they will feel comfortable doing so, ask the students to describe how it felt to hear the words of the special bedtime prayer, which is part of the Evening Blessings.

5 CHAI: Learning for Jewish Life Evening Blessings (Lesson Alef ): Hashkiveinu Have your students open to the Hashkiveinu prayer on page 17 of their workbooks. Review the prayer by reading it aloud and/or playing tracks 9 10 on the CHAI Level 2 CD....W nik «a, Fªx Ubh k g G«r pu 'oh H j k Ub r nij Ub sh n g v±u ä«k 'Ubh vo t 'oik ²h±h 'Ub ch F a«v Hashkiveinu, Adonai Eloheinu, l shalom, v haamideinu shomreinu l chayim, ufros aleinu sukkat sh lomecha... Grant, O God, that we lie down in peace, And raise us up, our Guardian, to life renewed. Spread over us the shelter of Your peace Ask the students to pay special attention to the words sukkat sh lomecha and to underline or circle them on the page. Ask the students if they have ever heard these words before and, if so, what they mean. If the students do not know the meaning, explain that a sukkah is a shelter and shalom (in this context) means peace. Point out that in this prayer, we are asking God to spread over us a shelter of peace for the night. Bedtime Ritual Art Project (Part 1): Hashkiveinu (20 25 minutes) Prior to class, prepare large sheets of white or light-colored construction paper for each student in your class. Draw a vertical line down the center of the page, dividing the page in half. At the top (and/or bottom) of the left side of the page write My Sukkat Shalom, in English. At the top (and/or bottom) of the right side of the page write the Sh ma in Hebrew and English. You may want to invite a few parents or madrichim to class to help with this art project. 1. Tell your students that today they re going to begin to make their own Evening Blessings pictures that they can hang in their bedrooms at home. 2. Give each of your students a piece of the large white or light-colored construction paper, on which you ve already written My Sukkat Shalom and the Sh ma. 3. Provide your students with art supplies, such as crayons or markers and glue, beads, buttons, feathers, stars, and plastic gems. Ask them to create a picture of their own sukkat shalom, shelter of peace. If they need help thinking of ideas, review the lists of what makes them feel safe that you made earlier in the class. They can also include any pictures they may have brought from home. They should only work on the left-hand side of the page. They will work on the right-hand side of the page during the next lesson. 4. If you have parent helpers or madrichim, they can assist the students with their sukkat shalom. The students should spend about 20 minutes on their projects. Tell them not to worry about finishing their projects. They will have time to work on them during the next class. CONCLUSION (10 15 MINUTES) 1. After helping to clean up, have the students share their pictures with the class, explaining how they have pictured a sukkat shalom over them when they go to sleep.

6 116 Avodah Lesson 5 CHAI: Learning for Jewish Life 2. Explain to the students that they will leave their pictures in the classroom to finish drying and so they can finish them during the next lesson. If it is not possible to leave the pictures in the classroom from class to class, you may want to arrange for some other safe place to store the pictures. Tell the students that when the pictures are completed next time, they will be able to take them home and hang them in their rooms where they can see them before they fall asleep. 3. Hand out the letter to parents (page 118) and Jewish Bedtime Rituals handout (page 117).

7 Jewish Bedtime Rituals Creating a Jewish bedtime ritual with your child will help foster a personal connection between your child and God. Sharing peaceful, loving, kodesh (holy) time together provides a stress-free transition into your child s dreams of slumber. Try one of these bedtime rituals, or adapt one to suit your needs: Model 1 CHAI: Learning for Jewish Life 1. Let your child choose a book to read together. 2. Reflect on the day. Ask your child, What went well? What was a challenge? What was learned? 3. Take a few deep breaths, letting go of the stress of the day. 4. Look at your Evening Blessings pictures. Ask your child to think about what it feels like to have God shelter him or her. 5. Sit on the bed together, cover your eyes, and say the Sh ma together. 6. Tuck your child under the covers. Exchange goodnight hugs and kisses. Model 2 1. Let your child choose a Jewish music CD. 2. Listen and sing along to one song. Talk about what the song is about. 3. Look at your Evening Blessings pictures. Ask your child to think about what it feels like to have God shelter him or her. 4. Sit on the bed together, cover your eyes, and say the Sh ma together. 5. Tuck your child under the covers. Exchange goodnight hugs and kisses. 6. Turn the CD player back on at a low volume so that your child can fall asleep while listening to the rest of the CD. For other models, see Bedtime Rituals for Children, childhood/bedtime/. Based on Bedtime Rituals Copyright 2009 URJ Press

8 CHAI: Learning for Jewish Life Dear Parents, Over the last few weeks, we have been learning about the many ways that we can recognize God s presence in the world and connect to God through prayer. For the next two weeks, our class will focus on Jewish bedtime rituals and how we can use this time to reflect on our day and our relationship with God. For next week s class, I would like to encourage your child to bring in pictures of people, animals, or things that make him/her feel safe and loved. Since these pictures will be used in an art project and will not be returned in their original condition, it would be best to take pictures specifically for this project or to send in copies of family photographs. Sincerely, Copyright 2009 URJ Press